This is part 4 in our series on the 30 Day Prayer Challenge.
Here is a recap of what we have done in the 30 Day Prayer Challenge so far...
I like to go through this process in the evening and plan the next day, because in the Jewish culture the day starts in the evening. They do it this way because in the book of Genesis it says there was evening and then there was morning, with the evening coming first. Then we wake up in the morning with gratitude and excitement for the day, because we know God is helping us and this is the day the Lord has made.
Next, we must execute, but we can execute trusting that not only is God showing us what to do, but is also empowering us with his grace to make it happen in his strength rather than our own. Our cues that we are doing it with his strength and power is that we have high levels of peace, joy, and confidence in God. Confidence is one of the highest expressions of trust. It is the state where all doubt is removed and we move from believing in God's promises to knowing that he will always fulfill his word.
One of the concepts we have talked about is that God has an unlimited inexhaustible supply that is more than enough for whatever we need. He has given us access to this pipeline of living water through faith in Jesus, and his name. Inside of this grace God has given us everything he has: His wisdom, understanding, righteousness, kingdom, power, love, peace, joy, energy, health, finances, time, and much more. We can tap into this supply, that is more than enough. When we pray the prayer in this challenge, we are asking to tap into this supply through the name of Jesus.
One of the keys to accessing this supply is taking action on the things we know to do. Sometimes we block the flow of this grace because things are piling up on the inside and we feel overwhelmed by all the things we need to do, so we procrastinate. Or God may be asking us to take a step of faith that looks scary, but it is only scary when we don't know about this supply God has for us. But, if we are trusting that God's supply is there, then our confidence is increased and we are more willing to take bold confident steps of faith that tap into this supply. The supply only shows up as we take action and take steps of faith. Think of Peter walking on the water, he didn't know he could do it until he stepped out of the boat. And he could walk on water as long he kept his eyes fixed on Jesus. When we take steps of faith and see God come through, it builds our confidence in him even more, and creates a positive cycle where we are more willing to take the next step of faith.
Whenever it looks like I am not capable of doing what God is asking of me, what I have learned to do is give a Memorial Portion. In the Old Testament the priests were told to take a small handful of the offerings and burn them on the altar before God as a memory. These Memorial Portions remind God of us, but more importantly they remind us that God can take the little bit we have and turn it into more than enough, because he is more than enough. In the book of Acts the prayers and alms of Cornelius came up before God as a Memorial Offering.
As a practical example of a Memorial Portion, one day last week I had more to do than I thought I could get done in a day. As I was about to get started on my list of things my daughter wanted to play with me. One of the concepts we teach in the Family Blueprint is that it is important to connect with your family when they attempt to connect with you. Think of Jesus stopping his ministry to connect with kids. So, I stopped my work and played with my daughter for about 10 minutes. Then I went back to work and sure enough, by 4pm that day everything was done and I had plenty of free time left. God did the miraculous and I had more than enough time. Then God reminded me that I had started my day by giving away a small amount of my time, and the result was having more than enough time to get everything done, and even extra. This concept of the Memorial Portion can be applied to finances, love, health, time, or in anything where it looks like you don't have enough. If you are feeling overwhelmed try giving a Memorial Portion as a way to tap into God's unlimited supply.
Think of tapping into God's supply like a pipeline or an internet connection. This supply is in us and we must learn to get this supply from our spirits, through our mind and emotions, and out into the physical world where it produces results.
With the internet the security of your connection matters. If the security of your internet is not good your information can be hacked. It is the name of Jesus that seals our prayers and makes them secure. They cannot be hacked. The name of Jesus secures our prayers and nothing can hinder the flow of them to God or God's response and supply back to us.
In the book of Esther, God's people were going to be destroyed, but Esther approached the king about writing a new law. The king told Esther to write a new law and SEAL it in his name. The name of Jesus seals our prayers making them secure. The apostle Paul said that he was confident that God would guard or secure the things Paul had entrusted to him.
The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The name of Jesus is the place of security. God is pouring out all of his unlimited supply through Jesus to us. In the book of Acts when Peter and John healed the man at the temple, they said that the man was given perfect health through the name of Jesus Christ. All of the things God wants to pour out on us are in Christ. Our lives are supposed to be hidden in Christ, the safe and secure place, because darkness cannot enter the light.
An interesting thing happens when we are secure. When we feel secure we can finally rest in our minds, and when we rest we become more present and externally focused. Security leads to increased presence and increased presence always leads to more joy, because in God's presence there is fullness of joy. When we are secure and aware of God's presence it leads to joy, but we must be secure first. When we are insecure we tend to turn inward to protect ourselves, and it withdraws our presence.
We have this mighty name of Jesus that is secure, and this security comes from God's unfailing love for us. The Bible describes God's love as unfailing. If we are in Christ, all of the love God has for Jesus as his son, is being poured out to him and through him to us.
Names are very important in the Bible. God often had to change peoples names for them to step into who God created them be. Abram had to become Abraham, Simon had to become Peter, Saul had to become Paul. The name of Jesus is the safe and secure place. It is also where the authority is, he told us to go forth in his name.
When we seal our prayers through the mighty name of Jesus it is safe and secure. We can rest assured that God heard our prayers and nothing can hinder his response.
There is so much to the name of Jesus. A good study would be research the power of the name of Jesus.
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